Wallens Ridge Prison Is Accredited

Wallens Ridge, the controversial Virginia super-maximum prison housing scores of Connecticut inmates, has received accreditation from the American Correctional Association, officials announced Friday.

The certification comes while the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities investigates allegations of abuse, neglect and discriminatory practices at Wallens Ridge in Big Stone Gap, Va.

The commission is expected to issue its finding next month.

The treatment of Wallens Ridge prisoners has also been a concern of human rights groups and prisoners-rights advocates.

Still, the prison received the highest compliance rating of all Virginia facilities receiving accreditation for complying with national standards.

Wallens Ridge was in 100 percent compliance with 41 mandatory standards and 99 percent compliant with 410 of the 414 non-mandatory standards.

The evaluation team reviewed conditions of confinement and found overall quality of life -- which includes factors such as sanitation, education, inmate programs and staff and inmate communication -- excellent.

``ACA accreditation of Wallens Ridge State Prison is the clearest indication yet that the Virginia Department of Corrections is a model correctional agency and proven innovative leader in a manner consistent with sound constitutional correctional principles,'' said Ron Angelone, director of the Virginia Department of Corrections, in a written statement.

The correctional association's accreditation program is a professional peer-review process based on national standards. The standards were developed by national leaders in the field of corrections and include experts in law, architecture, health care, and other groups interested in sound correctional management.

Wallens Ridge opened in April 1999 as Virginia's second super-maximum security facility.